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Wednesday, January 02, 2008

Monument to an unbeatable record

A monument to an unbeatable record:

Recently a monument was erected in Viña del Mar to commemorate an incredible record that was set on February 5, 1949. On that day, Captain Alberto Larraguibel of the Chilean Army, mounting a horse named “Huaso” jumped an obstacle at a height of 2.47 meters (7.41 feet) to set a world record for horse jumping that has never been beaten since then. The statue is a life size replica of Larraguibel and Huaso, and is flanked by a Titan that depicts strength and courage and also by a female figure that represents victory. Huaso´s original name was “Faithful”, and his owner planned a successful career at the racecourse for the young stallion.

However, Faithful didn’t make the grade in horseracing and so was donated to the Chilean army, that discovered that the horse had a talent for jumping obstacles. After a year of training, Captain Larraguibel decided that Huaso (as he had been renamed) was ready to better the mark set a few months earlier by an Italian rider. Near the same spot where the monument stands today, Larraguibel and Huaso broke the record at their third attempt, and entered the history books for ever. See the original film footage from 1949 as Huaso jumps over the obstacle.